


Workload

by plutoanonymous



Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-29
Updated: 2021-02-12
Packaged: 2021-03-15 05:54:48
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,291
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29059350
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/plutoanonymous/pseuds/plutoanonymous
Summary: After making a mistake during a mission that almost costed you your life, Levi discharges you from the corps.
Relationships: Levi (Shingeki no Kyojin)/Reader, Levi (Shingeki no Kyojin)/You, Levi/Reader
Comments: 6
Kudos: 94





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hi loves, I wrote this from a prompt I received on tumblr and decided to write 2 parts to it instead 1! Let me know what you think :) 
> 
> oh yeah, I do not own the rights to Attack On Titan.

You knew almost immediately you screwed up. You misread the signals, which you never do and ended up in titan wonderland. If it were only a few titans you had to outwit, you could have easily outran them on your horse but that was not the case. You easily count at least 7 in your vicinity and God knows how many there are behind you in the distance. 

“Shit, shit, shit shit.” Your mind races through possible outcomes and all of them end up with you as titan bait. You want to cry but at the same time you feel numb. There’s no use in being emotional about it now; it is as if you accepted your fate. You decide that the least you can do is help out your team by distracting the titans. You guide your horse through the legs of a few which ultimately gets their attention. And after a few moments, almost all of the leering giants have their targets set out on you now. 

\-----------------

You wake up from the mumbling voices around you. Your eyes are barely able to open more than a slit but you can make out 2 female nurses hovering over you, both of them applying gauze and bandages to different areas of your midsection. They are speaking to each other as they tend to your body.

“I heard he had to kill all 9 of the titans just to save her.”

“I heard that too. She was already in one of its mouths when he found her. How terrifying!”

“All that resource and time spent on one person. I hate to say it but was it worth it?”

You open your mouth to interject, desperately wanting to ask if Levi is ok too but no sound leaves you. Memory of being lifted up from your horse and crushed in the hands of a 7 meter titan fills your psyche and your body aches in remembrance. 

“Levi.” You breathe out. You instantly regret trying to sit up as you’re rewarded with shooting, searing white pain flying up your sides.

“Shhh. You need to rest.” One of the nurses places a gentle hand on your shoulder and presses you back down into the bed. You can’t remember what happens after because once your head hit the pillow, you immediately fall asleep.

\--------------

You hear him before you see him. He’s speaking to someone who you assume is a doctor outside of your room. You hear him asking about any following procedures but you can’t make out the response. You give up in trying to eavesdrop, it’s not worth straining your ears for. 

The sounds of his footsteps draw nearer and in a panic frenzy, you pull your cover up above half of your face and forcefully shut your eyes. The last thing you need is to see how disappointed he is in you, or even worse, receive a lecture.

When you know he has entered your room, you hear him exhale a deep, troubled sigh.

“Y/n.” 

Silence. You pretend to be dead asleep.

“I know you’re awake. Don’t waste more of my time.” Levi spits, ripping back the cover so that your face is exposed to him. 

You wince at his tone and slowly open your eyes. You’re met with his stoic expression peering down at you. He looks normal, if anything, just a little tired. 

“I’m sorry Levi. I know I made a mistake...” You start but get interrupted.

“Mistake? You fucked up the entire mission. What the hell were you thinking?”

You take a deep breath. “I misread the signals. Mixed up the colours.”

“And then what? You decided you weren’t even going to try to live?” Levi’s voice is low. You know he’s trying his very best not to lash out at you but his efforts are not enough. “Or did you just assume I was going to magically find you and fucking save you?”

His ashen grey eyes bore a hole straight through your own. After a few moments of silence apart from heavy breathing on your end, you realize he’s actually expecting a response from you. “There were way too many of them. I couldn’t possibly survive that and I knew I was running out of gas. I thought I might as well do something to help you guys so I-”

“Y/n.” Is all he says before he falls down into a chair beside you, gripping the sides of it until his knuckles turn white. “I can’t have you on the team anymore.”

You sit up too quickly, and the room starts to spin. A sickening feeling seeps into the pit of your stomach. Your eyes start to water and you know it’s not because of the pain that just erupted throughout your entire body. “No, Levi. You can’t do this to me.” Your voice is barely above a whisper. You can’t believe he just said that to you.

“I am.”

“You’re punishing me for being selfless? Isn’t that what we’re taught?” Your voice gets higher and higher with each word and Levi closes his eyes. He looks exhausted now. “I didn’t ask you to save me!”

“I’ll have someone collect your gear in the morning. We’ll discharge you as soon as you recover.” He says in a monotone voice as he gets up from the chair and tries to head out.

“Levi, wait! I’ll learn from this. It won’t happen again, I promise!” You frantically spit out, brushing your hair away from your face. You know you sound pathetically desperate but you don’t care.

“I know it won't happen again. I just made sure of it.” And with that, he exits the room


	2. 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Holy. This was not supposed to take this long to write and I apologize! My brain literally did not want to cooperate with me and I had to muster up every inch of motivation I had to finish it. Annnywayssss I hope you guys enjoy ♡ pls pls pls let me know if it did! that would make me so happy.  
> \- Pluto

The past few days have been filled with visitors and their seeping sympathy. You can tell, very easily, that they were all aware of what had occured between you and Levi, but for the most part, they avoided the topic of your discharge from the corps. You were grateful for that; talking about how you’re no longer on the squad is too painful and honestly, too embarrassing.

The only person who mentioned it so far was Hange. They told you they will try their best to get Levi to change his mind but it will be difficult; the man is stubborn. You appreciate any and all efforts. However, when you don't hear back from them for a while, you start to lose hope.

Thus far you spent a lot of time sleeping whenever there weren’t any physical tests to be done or blood to be drawn but sometimes the pain was so unbearable, you would wake up in cold sweats. Flashbacks of what happened on the failed mission visit you in your dreams. You can’t escape them. You relive being hoisted up by the ugliest creature you’ve ever laid sight on, the only thing you remember last was the look of horror in your horse’s eyes. The poor thing thought it was next to be devoured. 

“How are you feeling?” Levi leans himself against the doorframe of your room. You secretly curse yourself for not listening for any footsteps coming your way. Usually, you were good at detecting looming visitors. 

You try to avoid looking him in the eyes, you don’t want him to know that you’ve been crying. He has checked up on you at least twice a day for the past 2 days, not saying a word when he visits, which you actually liked. Levi would pop in, check your vitals report and talk to a nurse about your condition then leave. But today, today was different.

“Never felt better.” You reply, your voice hoarse and dripping in sarcasm. You turn your body to the side opposite the door and wait for the sound of Levi’s footsteps fading away before you can relax again. Except he doesn’t leave and instead enters the room and sits down next to your bed. 

“Tch. Don’t be difficult.” He folds one leg over the other. You watch from the corner of your eye the way his dark brown hair softly flops against his forehead when he sits. The sight makes you want to reach out and move the fallen strands away from his face. 

The two of you sit in silence for a few moments before Levi grabs a hold of your hand gently. The action shocks you so much that you stifle an inaudible noise. “Do you know how much you scared me, brat?” He says, disappointment in his tone. His thumb rubbing over your own in repeated motions.

“I didn’t mean to, Levi. I’m-”

“Can’t you be selfish? Couldn’t you have fought harder for yourself?” There’s something undetectable in his voice. He lets go of your hand. 

You open your mouth to respond but you can’t find any words to use. Levi is staring at you now, a pained expression falls onto his face. “Y/n” He exhales. “I will do anything to protect you, that’s why I discharged you.”

“Why, Levi? I don’t need you to protect me!” Anger seeps within you and you force yourself to sit up. Levi jumps out of his chair to gently push you back down. He inhales sharply and so do you. You can’t bear the searing hot pain that just shot down your left arm.

“You’re riled up. We’ll have this conversation another time.”

“I don’t want to talk to you. Ever again.” You sound bratty and you hate it but you can’t help it. You love Levi but at this moment, you don’t understand him. “Do you think I’m a liability? I made a mistake once!”

“You were 100% a liability. I’m not a fucking babysitter.”

Through gritted teeth you say, “Get out.”

“Y/n.” He sternly replies, clearly agitated with you and the situation. You wonder why he hasn’t left yet. 

“Leave.” You spit out and he finally does. Levi leaves as fast as he came. Even though it’s what you wanted and asked for, you knew this would be the last time you’ll see him for a long time and that thought absolutely breaks your heart.

The next few days were your last in the infirmary, afterwards you were free to go back home and rest on your own. You said your solemn goodbyes to your friends before your departure. All of them watching on with sad, puppy dog eyes as you wave goodbye. When you arrived back at your family home, your parents were waiting outside for you. Although you missed them so much since you joined the corps, only seeing them from time to time and rarely at that, you feel ashamed. You know you shouldn’t be resting in your childhood home, warm in your bed while the rest of your friends and teammates are defending humanity. And what would your parents think of you when they find out why you’re home again, what questions will they ask when they realize you’re not returning back to the corps after you’re fully recovered? Do they already know why? 

After the long overdue hugs and kisses from both mom and dad, you retreat back to your room for some well deserved rest, you travelled for hours on end just to reach your quiet, small, outskirt village and it took a toll on your body. When you finally get to lay down, you wonder if your bed has always been this comfortable. Or perhaps you were just missing it too much while you were away.

Your sleeping schedule is sporadic for the next few days. You spend most of the day sleeping, momentarily waking up and eating from time to time, despite your lack of appetite and then going back to sleep. You wake up during the night for a few hours, looking to spend time with your family but of course, they were fast asleep themselves. 

\--------------------

It must’ve been less than a couple hours into your nap before you’re woken by your mother. She’s wearing a toothy grin on her face as she shakes you gently. You frown when you see her looming over you. “Mom? Is everything alright?”

“You have a guest!” Her excitement is over the roof as she grabs you to sit up. You fight away from her grip and groan loudly. You desperately want to tell your mom to go back downstairs and tell whoever it is to come back at a different time. 

“Guest? Already? I just came back here.” You rub your eyes aggressively before reaching for a robe on the floor next to your bed. Normally, you would ensure you looked somewhat decent when meeting people, but considering you encountered a near death experience a little over a week ago, whoever it is, is just going to have to deal. “Who is it?”

“Captain Levi! He came all the way here to see you.” She gushes, running a hand through your hair but giving up when she catches her fingers into a jungle of tangles.”Are there no combs in the city?” She mutters under her breathe with a slight frown.

Your mouth drops open and before you know it you're being pushed out the bedroom door by your overly excited mother. “He is so handsome, y/n. I can see why you rarely come back to visit.” She sends you a wink. 

There’s no time to question and confront the butterflies in your stomach or the fastened beat in your chest. You make your way down the stairs and you see him almost immediately. He’s talking to your father in the living room but when they both see you at the same time, the conversation stops. Levi greets you.

“How are you doing?” He asks, motioning you to take a seat next to him.

“I-I’m fine. And you?” You can’t force away the creases in your forehead or the downwards curl of your mouth. You’re confused by his presence, and frankly, a little scared too. You wonder if something bad has happened.

“Fine.” Levi answers. He sends a quick look to your dad who nods his head and leaves after awkwardly saying he needs to check up on something. The two of you are now left alone together and you bite your tongue from bluntly asking why he came all this way. When he doesn’t make an attempt to say something else, you ask stupidly, “So...How are you?”

“Fine. Again.” 

You fidget with a strand of thread coming off your robe and then become embarrassed with how you currently look. Knowing Levi, he’s probably disgusted at the sight of you sitting near him in a frumpy, old robe that hasn’t seen the light of day in months. _Why couldn’t I have done something with my hair at least_ , you think to yourself. A fierce blush rushes to your cheeks.

“My apologies if my sudden visit was any inconvenience to you and your family. I wanted to stop by to check up on you” 

“You didn’t have to.” You mumble, thinking back on how long and uncomfortable the journey was for you, and how it must’ve been the same for the dark haired man sitting next to you. “Are you hungry?”

“No.” Levi replies in his signature bored tone.

Not knowing where the conversation is headed is making you feel quite uneasy. Captain Levi could not have possibly come all this way just to know how you were doing, right? He is way too busy for that. “How about some tea then? I think my mother put some water on the stove already. You like yours black right? I’ll go tell her.” You stand up and Levi quickly locks his hand around your wrist. 

“Y/n. Sit down.” After some thought he adds, “Please.” His grey eyes plead with you, not once leaving your face. You sit down slowly and that’s when he finally lets go. “I wanted to apologize, and explain myself. I know you must think I overreacted and that’s what everyone else thinks too. Those brats think I don’t hear their gossiping.” He mutters. “And don’t get me started on Hange. Fucking hell. She wouldn’t stop harassing me about you.”

Your heart warms at the thought of Hange annoying the hell out of Levi for your sake. Words can’t describe how much you miss everybody. “It’s ok, captain. I spent a lot of time reflecting and I respect your decision.” You feel tears start to burn in your eyes as you speak but you force yourself to smile through it. The truth is you screwed up, and there are consequences. As much as you thought you and Levi had a special connection, your mistakes can’t go unpunished. You understood that wholeheartedly. It still hurts though. There was no denying that.

“I love you.” Your heart beats faster than the speed of light at the sound of those words leaving Levi’s mouth. For a moment you thought you misheard him completely but then he repeats himself. “I love you, Y/n. That’s why I discharged you. You can’t imagine how much pain you put me through. I had to be the one to rip you from that titan’s grip. You don’t know what that did to me.” 

“Levi.” Is all you can get out as immense guilt fills you. You want to reach out and hug him for putting him through so much pain and anguish. That’s the last thing you ever want to do. 

He waits for you to say something else but you just can’t find the words that can properly express the magnitude of how you feel in this exact moment. A thousand emotions rush over you and your tongue feels so heavy in your mouth. 

Levi’s eyebrows twitch in the slightest way before he adds, “So just stay at home from now on, brat. I don’t want to have to save your ass again.” He returns back to his stoic, unphased self. Your lack of response to his confession disappointed him, not that he would ever show you it did though. “And tell your parents I’m thankful for their hospitality.” He unfolds his legs and stands up. Now it was your turn to hold onto him. Your tight grip on the edge of his sleeve surprises him and Levi raises his eyebrows in confusion. 

“You discharged me because you loved me? Then I want to come back because I love you.” You admit, flusteredly. You smile nervously as you watch Levi’s eyes beam down at you. Not in a million years did you ever think you would ever get the opportunity to express your feelings to Levi Ackerman and yet here you were doing exactly that. “I know I can’t promise anything, especially in such an uncertain world but being around you…” You pause. “I would rather die by your side than live without you.”

He doesn’t speak for a while as his eyes pierce through your own in a way that no other person can. Your insides melt and you can’t help but to wonder how many people Levi has this effect on, you’re convinced it’s not just only you. 

He finally breaks the silence. “Tch, don’t be so dramatic.” 

“So, I can rejoin the squad?”

“Just focus on healing, ok? Don’t think about anything else.” 

“So, yes?”

“Y/n.” He sighs. “We’ll see when the time comes.”

“I’m sorry.” You whisper. “For everything I put you through. You said you wished I was selfish but I was. I didn’t think about what you had to do to save me. I’m sorry.”

Levi’s hand flies to your cheek, he softly brushes away a few strands from your face to look at you better. A soft smile reaches his lips. “And I would do it again. Every single time."


End file.
